The
Carrboro Citizen, the new kid on the block has left the
starting block with a blockbuster story that has produced
one of many that are sure to follow rewards. The story which
was borrowed from the UNC News Services is an example of The
Carrboro Citizen's ability to be creative and resourceful
in bringing us the best news that's fit to print. Since we
have less space we will only summarize the article.

It's a little know
fact that in the past Carrboro was one of the largest producers
of Bay Scallops in North Carolina. Eight days a week the Scallop
fisherman could be seen out in their canoes on the Haw River,
Morgan Creek, University Lake and every other major and minor
waterway way in the county. Bringing home their bounty of
scallops, the Robertson Fish Market(Just in front of the Emergency
Squad parking garage) was a bustling center of activity as
the local fisherman hawked their scallops. The Robertson Fish
Market was the largest procurrer of scallops in the country
with farmers coming from miles to purchase them.

Scallops and corn,
scallops and chitlin', scallops and pork rind, scallops and
collards- there was no limit to what the bountiful Carrboro
harvest could be mixed with. Delicious scallop dishes were
aplenty earning Carrboro the well-deserved "Scallop Queen
of the Piedmont" award.

Unfortunately,
an abundance of scallops also meant an abundance of the most
feared predator of the seas- The Great White Shark. Canoeing
down Cane Creek and the rest of the Orange County Waterways
became a treacherous undertaking for our brave scallop fishermen.
A fifteen foot
Great White Shark, weighing upward of 4000 pounds and laying
in wait for it's prey in a 2 foot deep creek caught many a
scalloper by surprise. In an ocean, there is hope as a quick
step to the side can avoid the iron jaws of the savage beast,
canoeing right into their open jaws is a whole different story.

The Great White Shark

The Scallop

Who
would have thought that the lives of these two great
monsters of the sea would be part of Carrboro's intricately
balanced eco-system?

As the scallop
fisherman population started to dwindle, so did the scallops
bound for the dinner table. Pressed with the possiblity of
losing her title as "Scallop Queen of The Piedmont",
Carrboro did what it does best, sent out scores of vigilante's
to hunt the hated beast. And so they hunted and hunted and
hunted.....

"I remember
going out to Bolin Creek and catching 4 of those big old critters
in one day", one local Shark Hunter told the Carrboro
News(and asked us to pass it on to The Carboro Citizen). "We
developed a bunch of ways to capture them. If you hold a shark
tightly by the tail they can't really reach around to bite
you, so we'd grab their tail and pull them up the banks. Once
out of the water, they are much easier to control, kind of
like holding a big, but not too big lizard by the tail. We
also like the westling method of The Crocodile Hunter when
you get a pile of people, jump on the shark, hold his mouth
shut and smother him into submission. Once you get 15 or 20
people on them, the shark knows it's whopped and they're ready
to give in."

In time, the Great
White Shark population was decimated and the shores of University
Lake and the banks of Bolin Creek were once again reclaimed
by Carrboro citizens. Sunbathers on the muddy banks abounded.
With the deadly beasts out of the picture, the Carrboro Scallopers
could go back to work, without fear of their life.

But a funny thing
happened on the way to the creeks..... The scallops disappeared
also. In a bizarre ecological connection that was previously
unseen, it become evident very quickly that the ecological
balance was thrown far askew. The Great Whites had, in a way
that only nature can explain, kept the population of scallop
fisherman down, creating a finely tuned balance of nature.
Once the Great White Shark population was decimated and the
scallopers were left unchecked to multiply at will, the fate
of the scallops was beginning to be written in stone on the
wall. Overfishing by an overabundance of scallopers led to
the demise of the scallops that used to line the creeks, ponds,
rivers and lakes.

A sad state of
affairs for this community, The Carrboro Citizen has taken
an active role, not usually associated with newspapers by
spearheading the "Bring the Great White Sharks back to
Carrboro" Campaign. To find out more about their campaign
and donate to the cause look for a copy of The Carrboro Citizen
at your nearest newsstand.

The Carrboro Citizen
is also actively attempting to survey the damage and take
a census of The Great White Shark and Scallop populations.
If you should see a Great White or Scallop in any of the Carrboro
waterways please contact The Carrboro Citizen immediately
and either request a tag to clip on either of the beasts or
giving them a detailed description of the location you saw
them so that Kirk Ross can go out and tag the beast himself.